December 11/08 10:56 am - Land Use Resource for Cyclocross Organizers

Posted by Editoress on 12/11/08

Land Use Resource for Cyclocross Organizers

The fear of "turf damage" is one of the biggest obstacles facing cyclocross promoters. Now, SpectaSport LLC, the marketing agency for well-known cyclocross series like Zipp OVCX, MAC Powered by SRAM and BikeReg.com MABRAcross, has a free resource to assist promoters with the false perceptions of turf damage when they make presentations to land owners and managers.

In the gallery section of the company's website, SpectaSport.com, is a downloadable photo essay entitled "After Effects" which documents the course conditions following a number of races in a variety of weather conditions. The photo essay contrasts the "damage" done by cyclocross to the greater damage inflicted on fields by more acceptable mainstream sports like Rugby and even Pee Wee Soccer. The final section documents the worst case scenario, torrential rains that turned a public park into a "classic" cyclocross course. Through a series of before and after photos taken three weeks apart, the essay documents how even the worst case scenario isn't very disruptive to the use, or view, of the park.

According to SpectaSport founder Ken Getchell, the After Effects essay is meant as a free resource to all promoters, whether or not they are SpectaSport clients. "When Erwin (3x World Champion Erwin Vervecken, the website's designer) and I were discussing how to display the essay, we decided that the most helpful thing for the sport as a whole would be to make it as easy to download as possible. All I'm asking is that people spend a few minutes rummaging around the rest of SpectaSports' website while they're already there; and, of course, not post the essay directly to any other website."